BAY CITY, Mich. - Five players in double-figures for kills was not enough as the Tiffin University volleyball team (6-8, 1-8 GLIAC) lost 3-2 (26-24, 25-23, 22-25, 20-25, 17-15) to Saginaw Valley State (10-7, 5-4 GLIAC), Saturday afternoon at Cardinal Gym.
In the opening set, Tiffin staked out a 15-11 lead. Saginaw Valley State came back, outscoring the Dragons 13-7 to lead 24-22. Seniors Bridget Boyle and Danielle McQuade tallied kills to tie the set at 24-24. The Cardinals took the next two points to win.
In the second set, TU once again took an early 15-11 lead. SVSU rallied with an 11-5 run to lead 22-20. A kill from McQuade and an error tied the match at 22-22. After trading points, Saginaw Valley State recorded two blocks to go up 2-0.
In the third set, Tiffin looked to be in charge, up 19-15. The Cardinals refused to quit and blitzed the Dragons, 7-2 to lead 22-21. TU settled down and got four straight points, ending the set on a smash by junior Chelsea Stockmeyer.
In the fourth set, a kill from Ashley Driscoll tied the set at 14-14. Tiffin put up a 6-1 run to effectively force a fifth set.
In the fifth set, the Dragons were on the verge of victory, up 12-9. SVSU came back with a 5-1 run to lead 14-13. Twice TU saved match point, tying it at 15-15 after a bomb from senior Sabine Stadler. Saginaw Valley State picked up a kill and a block to get the win.
For Tiffin, McQuade had 19 kills and 13 digs, her 10th double-double of the season. Junior Tiffany Buchinger had a career-high 62 assists, third best in school history. Boyle had a career night with 14 kills and hit .522 while freshman Olivia Cobb, Stadler and Stockmeyer had 10+ kills as well. Senior Jordan Jenkins had 32 digs, her 34th consecutive double-digit dig performance.
For Saginaw Valley State, Driscoll had 12 kills, Kaylee Schmitt had 11 and Makenzie Frodle tallied 10. Brooke Tiller had 19 digs.
Tiffin returns home, Friday, Oct. 18, taking on Michigan Tech. The match is scheduled to start at 7:00 p.m. Live Stats will be available at http://livestats.prestosports.com/tiffin/
-TIFFIN UNIVERSITY-
